Fault isolation using on-board diagnostic (obd) capability data

ABSTRACT

A system is configured to store a relationship data set of a plurality of diagnostic estimators and a plurality of failure modes, each failure mode represents a type of failure that can occur with a sensor or a vehicle component of a vehicle system, each diagnostic estimator is associated with a respective subset of the failure modes, each subset defines a control space within the vehicle system that contains at least one of (i) one or more sensors or (ii) one or more vehicle components. The system is configured to store a healthy diagnostic vector regarding nominal operational parameters of the vehicle system; acquire diagnostic information regarding current operational parameters of the vehicle system to generate an error diagnostic vector; apply the error diagnostic vector to the healthy diagnostic vector to generate a ratio diagnostic vector; and apply the ratio diagnostic vector to generate a value for each failure mode.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/247,383, filed Dec. 9, 2020, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

On-board diagnostic (OBD) capability data is the data that diagnosticmonitors use to make decisions on whether a respective vehicle system ishealthy or failed. For a healthy system, the capability data ispositioned far away from a diagnostic threshold. Many diagnosticsmonitors are designed to identify a failure in the system. However, afailure mode may result in multiple diagnostics monitors that trigger afault, but not necessarily that point to the failure mode causing theperformance loss. Specifically, today, fault codes are typically broad,system-level fault codes. System-level fault codes are only able toalert drivers and technicians to an issue at a high-level, like the airhandling system. However, dozens of parts affect air handling. Manytrucks enter the repair bay with only system-level faults, requiring aseparate fault isolation mechanism for service technicians toefficiently identify the failure mode and replace or otherwise service aspecific part.

SUMMARY

One embodiment relates to a system. The system includes one or moreprocessing circuits comprising one or more memory devices coupled to oneor more processors. The one or more memory devices are configured tostore instructions thereon that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the one or more processors to store a fault isolationtable including a relationship matrix of a plurality of diagnosticestimators and a plurality of failure modes, each of the plurality offailure modes represents a type of failure that can occur with (i) asensor or (ii) a vehicle component of a vehicle system that isassociated with the fault isolation table, each of the plurality ofdiagnostic estimators is associated with a respective subset of theplurality of failure modes, each respective subset defines a controlvolume within the vehicle system that contains at least one of (i) oneor more sensors or (ii) one or more vehicle components of the vehiclesystem; store a healthy diagnostic vector regarding nominal operationalparameters of the vehicle system when healthy; acquire diagnosticinformation regarding current operational parameters of the vehiclesystem; generate an error diagnostic vector based on the diagnosticinformation; divide the error diagnostic vector by the healthydiagnostic vector to generate a ratio diagnostic vector; multiply theratio diagnostic vector with the relationship matrix to generate a valuefor each of the plurality of failure modes; and sort the plurality offailure modes based on the value for each of the plurality of failuremodes to facilitate identifying which of the plurality of failure modesare most likely to cause a fault within the vehicle system.

Another embodiment relates to a system. The system includes one or moreprocessing circuits comprising one or more memory devices coupled to oneor more processors. The one or more memory devices are configured tostore instructions thereon that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the one or more processors to acquire OBD capabilitydata from a plurality of OBD monitors associated with a vehicle system,where the OBD capability data includes at least (i) first OBD capabilitydata acquired from a first OBD monitor associated with a first pluralityof components or a first portion of the vehicle system, (ii) second OBDcapability data acquired from a second OBD monitor associated with asecond plurality of components or a second portion of the vehiclesystem, and (iii) third OBD capability data acquired from a third OBDmonitor associated with a third plurality of components or a thirdportion of the vehicle system, where (i) the first plurality ofcomponents and the second plurality of components include a first commoncomponent or (ii) the first portion and the second portion at leastpartially overlap, and where (i) the first plurality of components andthe third plurality of components include a second common component or(ii) the first portion and the third portion at least partially overlap;compare the first OBD capability data, the second OBD capability data,and the third OBD capability data; and identify a faulty component or afaulty portion of the vehicle system based on the comparison.

Still another embodiment relates to a system. The system includes one ormore processing circuits including one or more memory devices coupled toone or more processors. The one or more memory devices are configured tostore instructions thereon that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the one or more processors to acquire data regardingcurrent operating parameters of at least one of a vehicle system of avehicle or a component of the vehicle system; monitor the currentoperating parameters of the at least one of the system or the componentover an operational life of the at least one of the vehicle system orthe component; compare the current operating parameters of the at leastone of the system or the component to at least one of: (i) nominaloperating parameters from when the at least one of the vehicle system orthe component was new, (ii) current operating parameters of at least oneof a similar system or a similar component of the vehicle, or (iii)operating parameters of the at least one of the similar system or thesimilar component of one or more other vehicles; and provide an alert inresponse to the comparison indicating that the at least one of thevehicle system the component requires maintenance or replacement.

These and other features, together with the organization and manner ofoperation thereof, will become apparent from the following detaileddescription when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle diagnostics system, accordingto an example embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle having a series hybridpowertrain and a controller used with the vehicle diagnostics system ofFIG. 1 , according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle having a parallel hybridpowertrain and a controller used with the vehicle diagnostics system ofFIG. 1 , according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle having a full electricpowertrain and a controller used with the vehicle diagnostics system ofFIG. 1 , according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle having an internal combustionengine driven powertrain and a controller used with the vehiclediagnostics system of FIG. 1 , according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a controller included with the vehiclesof FIGS. 2-5 , according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle subsystem, according to anexample embodiment.

FIG. 8A is a graphical representation of a first failure mode identifiedusing a multiple OBD monitor monitoring process, according to an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 8B is a graphical representation of a second failure modeidentified using the multiple OBD monitor monitoring process, accordingto an example embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of diagnosing faulty components or faultyportions of a vehicle subsystem using a control volumes analysisprocess, according to an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Following below are more detailed descriptions of various conceptsrelated to, and implementations of, methods, apparatuses, and systemsfor fault isolation using operation data and/or OBD capability data. Thevarious concepts introduced above and discussed in greater detail belowmay be implemented in any number of ways, as the concepts described arenot limited to any particular manner of implementation. Examples ofspecific implementations and applications are provided primarily forillustrative purposes.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a vehicle control system 10 includes one or morevehicles 20, a network 30, one or more service tools 300, and a server400. According to an example embodiment, the network 30 communicablycouples the server 400 to the vehicles 20 (e.g., wirelessly, etc.) andthe service tool 300 (e.g., wirelessly, via a wired connection, etc.).The service tool 300 may be a diagnostics tool used by a technician orservice person to diagnose faults of the vehicle 20 within a service bayor similar circumstance (e.g., light and heavy duty scan tools, codereaders, etc.). The server 400 may be a remote server that compiles datafrom a plurality of the vehicles 20. The server 400 may be structured tofacilitate comparing the data between various similar vehicles to assistin the fault detection and/or fault isolation processes describedherein. While the disclosure herein focuses on and references vehiclesand vehicle control systems, it should be understood that thecapabilities of the vehicle control system 10 disclosed herein maysimilar be applied to non-vehicle based applications such as powergeneration systems (e.g., standby generator systems, portable generatorsystem, etc.), battery systems, fuel cell systems, and the like.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-5 , schematic diagrams of the vehicle 20 areshown according to various example embodiments. As shown in FIG. 2 , thevehicle 20 includes a powertrain 100, vehicle subsystems 120, anoperator input/output (I/O) device 130, sensors 140 communicably coupledto one or more components of the vehicle 20, OBD monitors 142communicably coupled to the sensors 140, and a vehicle controller 150.As shown in FIG. 3 , the vehicle 20 includes a powertrain 110 in placeof the powertrain 100 of FIG. 2 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the vehicle 20includes a powertrain 115 in place of the powertrain 100 of FIG. 2 andthe powertrain 110 of FIG. 3 . As shown in FIG. 5 , the vehicle 20includes a powertrain 118 in place of the powertrain 100 of FIG. 2 , thepowertrain 110 of FIG. 3 , and the powertrain 115 of FIG. 4 . Thesecomponents are described in greater detail herein.

According to the example embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , the powertrain 100of the vehicle 20 is structured as a series hybrid powertrain. Accordingto the example embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , the powertrain 110 of thevehicle 20 is structured as a parallel hybrid powertrain. In someembodiments, the powertrain 100 and/or the powertrain 110 of the vehicle20 are structured as another type of hybrid powertrain. According to theexample embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the powertrain 115 of the vehicle20 is structured as a full electric powertrain. According to the exampleembodiment shown in FIG. 5 , the powertrain 118 is structured as aconventional, non-hybrid, non-electric powertrain (i.e., an internalcombustion engine driven powertrain). The vehicle 20 may be an on-roador an off-road vehicle including, but not limited to, line-haul trucks,mid-range trucks (e.g., pick-up truck), cars (e.g., sedans, hatchbacks,coupes, etc.), buses, vans, refuse vehicles, fire trucks, concretetrucks, delivery trucks, and any other type of vehicle. Thus, thepresent disclosure is applicable with a wide variety of implementations.

Components of the vehicle 20 may communicate with each other or foreigncomponents using any type and any number of wired or wirelessconnections. For example, a wired connection may include a serial cable,a fiber optic cable, a CAT5 cable, or any other form of wiredconnection. Wireless connections may include the Internet, Wi-Fi,cellular, radio, Bluetooth, ZigBee, etc. In one embodiment, a controllerarea network (CAN) bus provides the exchange of signals, information,and/or data. The CAN bus includes any number of wired and wirelessconnections. Because the vehicle controller 150 is communicably coupledto the systems and components in the vehicle 20, the vehicle controller150 is structured to acquire operation data and/or OBD capability dataregarding one or more of the components or systems shown in FIGS. 2-5 .For example, the operation data may include data regarding operatingconditions of the powertrain 100, the powertrain 110, the powertrain115, the powertrain 118, the vehicle subsystems 120, and/or othercomponents (e.g., a battery system, a motor, a generator, a regenerativebraking system, an engine, an exhaust aftertreatment system, an airhandling system, etc.) acquired by one or more sensors, such as sensors140. As another example, the OBD capability data may be valuesindicative of the health of a component, subsystem, or system of thevehicle 20 determined by the OBD monitors 142 based on the operationdata acquired by the sensors 140. The vehicle controller 150 may detectfaults within the vehicle 20 and isolate the faults to a respectivesystem of the vehicle 20 and to specific components within therespective system based on the operation data and/or the OBD capabilitydata. Further, it should be understood that any of the fault detectionand fault isolation capabilities of the vehicle controller 150 describedherein can be similarly performed by or with the service tool 300 and/orthe server 400, or in various combinations between the vehiclecontroller 150, the service tool 300, and/or the server 400.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the powertrain 100 (e.g., a series hybridpowertrain, etc.) includes an engine 101, a transmission 102, adriveshaft 103, a differential 104, a final drive 105, a firstelectromagnetic device 106 (e.g., a generator, a motor-generator, etc.),a second electromagnetic device 108 (e.g., a motor, a motor-generator,etc.), and an energy storage device 109. The engine 101 may bestructured as any engine type, including a spark-ignition internalcombustion engine, a compression-ignition internal combustion engine,and/or a fuel cell, among other alternatives. The engine 101 may bepowered by any fuel type (e.g., diesel, ethanol, gasoline, natural gas,propane, hydrogen, etc.). Similarly, the transmission 102 may bestructured as any type of transmission, such as a continuous variabletransmission, a manual transmission, an automatic transmission, anautomatic-manual transmission, a dual clutch transmission, and so on.

Accordingly, as transmissions vary from geared to continuousconfigurations (e.g., continuous variable transmission), thetransmission 102 may include a variety of settings (gears, for a gearedtransmission) that affect different output speeds based on an inputspeed received thereby (e.g., from the second electromagnetic device108, etc.). Like the engine 101 and the transmission 102, the driveshaft103, the differential 104, and/or the final drive 105 may be structuredin any configuration dependent on the application (e.g., the final drive105 is structured as wheels in an automotive application and a propellerin a boat application, etc.). Further, the driveshaft 103 may bestructured as any type of driveshaft including, but not limited to, aone-piece, two-piece, and a slip-in-tube driveshaft based on theapplication.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the engine 101 and the first electromagnetic device106 are mechanically coupled together (e.g., via a shaft, a gear box,etc.) to form a genset 107. In some embodiments, the firstelectromagnetic device 106 is a single device having both generating andmotoring capabilities. In some embodiments, the first electromagneticdevice 106 has only generating capabilities. According to an exampleembodiment, the engine 101 is structured to drive the firstelectromagnetic device 106 to generate electrical energy. As shown inFIG. 2 , the first electromagnetic device 106 is electrically coupled tothe energy storage device 109 such that the first electromagnetic device106 may provide energy generated thereby to the energy storage device109 for storage. In some embodiments, the first electromagnetic device106 is structured to receive stored electrical energy from the energystorage device 109 to facilitate operation thereof. By way of example,the first electromagnetic device 106 may receive stored electricalenergy from the energy storage device 109 to facilitate starting theengine 101.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the second electromagnetic device 108 ismechanically coupled to the transmission 102 (e.g., via a shaft, a gearbox, etc.). In an alternative embodiment, the powertrain 100 does notinclude the transmission 102 and the second electromagnetic device 108is directly coupled to the driveshaft 103 or the differential 104. Insome embodiments, the second electromagnetic device 108 is a singledevice having both generating and motoring capabilities. In someembodiments, the second electromagnetic device 108 has only motoringcapabilities. As shown in FIG. 2 , the second electromagnetic device 108is electrically coupled to the first electromagnetic device 106 and theenergy storage device 109 such that the second electromagnetic device108 may receive energy stored by the energy storage device 109 and/orgenerated by the first electromagnetic device 106 to facilitateoperation thereof. By way of example, the second electromagnetic device108 may receive stored electrical energy from the energy storage device109 and/or generated electrical energy from the first electromagneticdevice 106 to facilitate providing a mechanical output to thetransmission 102. In some embodiments, the second electromagnetic device108 is structured to generate electrical energy for storage in theenergy storage device 109. By way of example, the second electromagneticdevice 108 may be structured to utilize a negative torque supply toperform energy regeneration (e.g., when the torque demand therefrom iszero, during engine braking, while the vehicle 20 is coasting down ahill, etc.).

According to an example embodiment, the energy storage device 109includes one or more batteries (e.g., high voltage batteries, alead-acid batteries, a lithium-ion batteries, lithium iron phosphatebatteries, etc.), one or more capacitors (e.g., super capacitors, etc.),and/or any other energy storage devices, or combination thereof. Asshown in FIG. 2 , the energy storage device 109 is electrically coupledto the first electromagnetic device 106 and the second electromagneticdevice 108. In some embodiments, the energy storage device 109, thefirst electromagnetic device 106, and/or the second electromagneticdevice 108 are electrically coupled to one or more of the vehiclesubsystems 120 (e.g., a regenerative braking system,electrically-powered vehicle accessories, etc.). According to an exampleembodiment, the energy storage device 109 is structured to storeelectrical energy (i) received from a charging station (e.g., a vehiclecharging station, etc.), (ii) generated by the first electromagneticdevice 106, (iii) generated by the second electromagnetic device 108,and/or (iv) generated by a regenerative braking system. The energystorage device 109 may be structured to provide the stored electricalenergy to (i) the vehicle subsystems 120 to operate various electricalbased components of the vehicle 20 (e.g., while the engine 101 isrunning, while the engine 101 is off, etc.), (ii) the firstelectromagnetic device 106 to start the engine 101 (e.g., in response toa restart command after a stop-start feature turns off the engine 101,when an operator keys on the engine 101, etc.), and/or (iii) the secondelectromagnetic device 108 to facilitate providing a mechanical outputto the transmission 102 (e.g., to drive the vehicle 20, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 3 , the powertrain 110 (e.g., a parallel hybridpowertrain, etc.) includes the engine 101, the transmission 102, thedriveshaft 103, the differential 104, the final drive 105, the energystorage device 109, and an electromagnetic device 112 (e.g., amotor-generator, etc.). The powertrain 110 optionally includes a clutch111 positioned between the engine 101 and the electromagnetic device112. The clutch 111 is structured to facilitate selectively decouplingthe engine 101 from the electromagnetic device 112. In some embodiments,the powertrain 100 of FIG. 2 includes a clutch positioned to selectivelymechanically couple the first electromagnetic device 106 with the secondelectromagnetic device 108 and/or the transmission 102. In such anembodiment, the powertrain 100 having a clutch may be selectivelyreconfigurable between a series hybrid powertrain and a parallel hybridpowertrain.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the engine 101 and the electromagnetic device 112are mechanically coupled together (e.g., via a shaft, a gear box, theclutch 111, etc.). In some embodiments, the electromagnetic device 112is a single device having both generating and motoring capabilities.According to an example embodiment, the engine 101 is structured todrive the electromagnetic device 112 to generate electrical energy. Asshown in FIG. 2 , the electromagnetic device 112 is electrically coupledto the energy storage device 109 such that the electromagnetic device112 may provide energy generated thereby to the energy storage device109 for storage. In some embodiments, the electromagnetic device 112 isstructured to receive stored electrical energy from the energy storagedevice 109 to facilitate operation thereof. By way of example, theelectromagnetic device 112 may receive stored electrical energy from theenergy storage device 109 to facilitate starting the engine 101.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the electromagnetic device 112 is mechanicallycoupled to the transmission 102 (e.g., via a shaft, a gear box, etc.).In an alternative embodiment, the powertrain 110 does not include thetransmission 102 and the electromagnetic device 112 is directly coupledto the driveshaft 103 or the differential 104. The electromagneticdevice 112 may receive energy stored by the energy storage device 109and/or mechanical energy from the engine 101 to facilitate providing amechanical output to the transmission 102. In some embodiments, theelectromagnetic device 112 is structured to generate electrical energyfor storage in the energy storage device 109 in response to receiving amechanical input from the transmission 102. By way of example, theelectromagnetic device 112 may be structured to utilize a negativetorque supply to perform energy regeneration (e.g., when the torquedemand therefrom is zero, during engine braking, while the vehicle 20 iscoasting down a hill, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 3 , the energy storage device 109 is electricallycoupled to the electromagnetic device 112. In some embodiments, theenergy storage device 109 and/or the electromagnetic device 112 areelectrically coupled to one or more of the vehicle subsystems 120 (e.g.,a regenerative braking system, electrically-powered vehicle accessories,etc.). According to an example embodiment, the energy storage device 109is structured to store electrical energy (i) received from a chargingstation (e.g., a vehicle charging station, etc.), (ii) generated by theelectromagnetic device 112, and/or (iii) generated by a regenerativebraking system. The energy storage device 109 may be structured toprovide the stored electrical energy to (i) the vehicle subsystems 120to operate various electrical based components of the vehicle 20 (e.g.,while the engine 101 is running, while the engine 101 is off, etc.),(ii) the electromagnetic device 112 to start the engine 101 (e.g., inresponse to a restart command after a stop-start feature turns off theengine 101, when an operator keys on the engine 101, etc.), and/or (iii)the electromagnetic device 112 to facilitate providing a mechanicaloutput to the transmission 102 (e.g., to drive the vehicle 20, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 4 , the powertrain 115 (e.g., a full electricpowertrain, etc.) includes the transmission 102, the driveshaft 103, thedifferential 104, the final drive 105, the energy storage device 109,and the electromagnetic device 112. In some embodiments, the powertrain115 does not include the transmission 102. As shown in FIG. 5 , thepowertrain 118 (e.g., an internal combustion engine driven powertrain,etc.) includes the engine 101, the transmission 102, the driveshaft 103,the differential 104, the final drive 105.

In the powertrain 118, the engine 101 receives a chemical energy input(e.g., a fuel such as gasoline, diesel, etc.) and combusts the fuel togenerate mechanical energy, in the form of a rotating crankshaft. Thetransmission 102 receives the rotating crankshaft and manipulates thespeed of the crankshaft (e.g., the engine revolutions-per-minute (RPM),etc.) to affect a desired driveshaft and final drive speed. The rotatingdriveshaft 103 is received by the differential 104, which provides therotation energy of the driveshaft 103 to the final drive 105. The finaldrive 105 then propels or moves the vehicle 20.

Referring again to FIGS. 2-5 , the vehicle 20 includes the vehiclesubsystems 120. In some embodiments, the vehicle subsystems 120 mayinclude a regenerative braking system. The regenerative braking systemmay include various components structured to generate electricity fromvehicle braking events to be stored by the energy storage device 109 forfuture use (e.g., by the first electromagnetic device 106, by the secondelectromagnetic device 108, by the electromagnetic device 112, by theelectrical vehicle components, etc.). The vehicle subsystems 120 mayinclude other components including mechanically driven or electricallydriven vehicle components (e.g., HVAC system, lights, pumps, fans,etc.). The vehicle subsystems 120 may also include an exhaustaftertreatment system having components used to reduce exhaustemissions, such as a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst, adiesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), a diesel particulate filter (DPF), adiesel exhaust fluid (DEF) doser with a supply of diesel exhaust fluid,a plurality of sensors for monitoring the aftertreatment system (e.g., anitrogen oxide (NOx) sensor, temperature sensors, etc.), and/or stillother components. The vehicle subsystems 120 may also include an airhandling system having various components to provide air to the engine101 and cooling systems (e.g., air intakes, air filters, intercoolers,exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) components, etc.).

The vehicle subsystems 120 may include one or more electrically-poweredaccessories and/or engine-drive accessories. Electrically-poweredaccessories may receive power from the energy storage device 109, thefirst electromagnetic device 106, the second electromagnetic device 108,and/or the electromagnetic device 112 to facilitate operation thereof.Being electrically-powered, the electrically-powered accessories may beable to be driven largely independent of the engine 101 of the vehicle20 (e.g., not driven off of a belt coupled to the engine 101). Theelectrically-powered accessories may include, but are not limited to,air compressors (e.g., for pneumatic devices, etc.), air conditioningsystems, power steering pumps, engine coolant pumps, fans, and/or anyother electrically-powered vehicle accessories.

The operator I/O device 130 may enable an operator of the vehicle 20 (orpassenger) to communicate with the vehicle 20 and the vehicle controller150. By way of example, the operator I/O device 130 may include, but isnot limited to, an interactive display, a touchscreen device, one ormore buttons and switches, voice command receivers, and the like. In oneembodiment, the operator I/O device 130 includes a brake pedal or abrake lever, an accelerator pedal, and/or an accelerator throttle.

The sensors 140 may include sensors positioned and structured to monitoroperating characteristics or parameters of various systems andcomponents of the vehicle 20 to facilitate acquiring operation dataregarding the operation of the various systems and components of thevehicle 20. By way of example, the sensors 140 may include varioussensors positioned throughout the vehicle 20 and the vehicle subsystems120 thereof to measure fluid pressures (e.g., air pressures, exhaustpressures, oil pressures, coolant pressures, fuel pressures, etc.),fluid temperatures (e.g., air temperatures, exhaust temperatures, oiltemperatures, etc.), component temperatures (e.g., of exhaust catalysts,of a SCR catalyst, of a DOC, of a battery, of an engine, etc.), fluidflow rates (e.g., engine mass air flow, EGR mass air flow, etc.),chemical compositions (e.g., of exhaust gases, NOx, etc.), fluid volumes(e.g., fuel, oil, coolant, etc.), speeds, (e.g., engine RPM, turbo shaftspeed, etc.), valve positions (e.g., EGR valve position, engine valvepositions, etc.), and/or other sensors positioned and/or structured tofacilitate monitoring the operating parameters of the vehicle 20 and thesystems thereof (e.g., of the powertrain, air handling system, EGRsystem, exhaust aftertreatment system, etc.).

The OBD monitors 142 may be variously positioned about the vehicle 20and structured to detect faults that may be present in the vehicle 20and the vehicle subsystems 120 thereof. To perform such fault detection,each respective OBD monitor 142 is structured to acquire operation datafrom a subset of the sensors 140 associated with a set of respectivevehicle subsystems 120, a respective vehicle subsystem 120, or a portionof the respective subsystem 120 that the respective OBD monitor 142 isresponsible for monitoring. The respective OBD monitor 142 compilesvarious performance parameters based on the operation data received fromthe subset of the sensors 140 and determines a signal value or the OBDcapability data for the set of respective vehicle subsystems 120, therespective vehicle subsystem 120, or the portion of the respectivesubsystem 120 that the respective OBD monitor 142 is responsible formonitoring. The respective OBD monitor 142 is then structured to comparethe OBD capability data against a threshold to determine whether the setof respective vehicle subsystems 120, the respective vehicle subsystem120, or portion of the respective vehicle subsystem 120 is (i) healthyor (ii) unhealthy and trigger a fault. In some embodiments, one or moreof the functions of the OBD monitors 142 described herein are performedby the vehicle controller 150 (e.g., the vehicle controller 150 receivesthe OBD capability data from the OBD monitors 142 and makes thehealthy/unhealthy decision, the vehicle controller 150 receives theoperation data and performs the functions of the OBD monitors 142,etc.).

As the components of FIGS. 2-5 are shown to be embodied in the vehicle20, the vehicle controller 150 may be structured as one or moreelectronic control units (ECUs). As such, the vehicle controller 150 maybe separate from or included with at least one of a transmission controlunit, an exhaust aftertreatment control unit, a powertrain controlmodule, an engine control module, etc. The function and structure of thevehicle controller 150 is described in greater detail with regards toFIG. 6 .

Referring now to FIG. 6 , a schematic diagram of the vehicle controller150 of the vehicle 20 of FIGS. 1-5 is shown according to an exampleembodiment. As shown in FIG. 6 , the vehicle controller 150 includes aprocessing circuit 151 having a processor 152 and a memory 154; acommunications interface 153; a sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155; acommunications circuit 156; a fault detection circuit 157; and a faultisolation circuit 158. While not show, it should be understood that theservice tool 300 and/or the server 400 can include components similar tothe communications circuit 156, the fault detection circuit 157, and/orthe fault isolation circuit 158 such that the functions and/or processesperformed thereby and as described herein can similarly be performed bythe service tool 300 and/or the server 400, alone or in combination withthe vehicle controller 150.

In one configuration, the sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155, thecommunications circuit 156, the fault detection circuit 157, and/or thefault isolation circuit 158 are embodied as machine or computer-readablemedia storing instructions that is executable by a processor, such asthe processor 152. As described herein and amongst other uses, themachine-readable media facilitates performance of certain operations toenable reception and transmission of data. For example, themachine-readable media may provide an instruction (e.g., command, etc.)to, e.g., acquire data. In this regard, the machine-readable media mayinclude programmable logic that defines the frequency of acquisition ofthe data (or, transmission of the data). Thus, the computer readablemedia may include code, which may be written in any programming languageincluding, but not limited to, Java or the like and any conventionalprocedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming languageor similar programming languages. The computer readable program code maybe executed on one processor or multiple remote processors. In thelatter scenario, the remote processors may be connected to each otherthrough any type of network (e.g., CAN bus, etc.).

In another configuration, the sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155, thecommunications circuit 156, the fault detection circuit 157, and/or thefault isolation circuit 158 are embodied as hardware units, such aselectronic control units. As such, the sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155,the communications circuit 156, the fault detection circuit 157, and/orthe fault isolation circuit 158 may be embodied as one or more circuitrycomponents including, but not limited to, processing circuitry, networkinterfaces, peripheral devices, input devices, output devices, sensors,etc. In some embodiments, the sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155, thecommunications circuit 156, the fault detection circuit 157, and/or thefault isolation circuit 158 may take the form of one or more analogcircuits, electronic circuits (e.g., integrated circuits (IC), discretecircuits, system on a chip (SOCs) circuits, microcontrollers, etc.),telecommunication circuits, hybrid circuits, and any other type of“circuit.” In this regard, the sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155, thecommunications circuit 156, the fault detection circuit 157, and/or thefault isolation circuit 158 may include any type of component foraccomplishing or facilitating achievement of the operations describedherein. For example, a circuit as described herein may include one ormore transistors, logic gates (e.g., NAND, AND, NOR, OR, XOR, NOT, XNOR,etc.), resistors, multiplexers, registers, capacitors, inductors,diodes, wiring, and so on. Thus, the sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155, thecommunications circuit 156, the fault detection circuit 157, and/or thefault isolation circuit 158 may also include programmable hardwaredevices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable arraylogic, programmable logic devices or the like. In this regard, thesensor/OBD monitor circuit 155, the communications circuit 156, thefault detection circuit 157, and/or the fault isolation circuit 158 mayinclude one or more memory devices for storing instructions that areexecutable by the processor(s) of the sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155,the communications circuit 156, the fault detection circuit 157, and/orthe fault isolation circuit 158. The one or more memory devices andprocessor(s) may have the same definition as provided below with respectto the memory 154 and the processor 152. Thus, in this hardware unitconfiguration, the sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155, the communicationscircuit 156, the fault detection circuit 157, and/or the fault isolationcircuit 158 may be geographically dispersed throughout separatelocations in the vehicle 20 (e.g., separate control units, etc.).Alternatively and as shown, the sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155, thecommunications circuit 156, the fault detection circuit 157, and/or thefault isolation circuit 158 may be embodied in or within a singleunit/housing, which is shown as the vehicle controller 150.

In the example shown, the vehicle controller 150 includes the processingcircuit 151 having the processor 152 and the memory 154. The processingcircuit 151 may be structured or configured to execute or implement theinstructions, commands, and/or control processes described herein withrespect to the sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155, the communicationscircuit 156, the fault detection circuit 157, and/or the fault isolationcircuit 158. Thus, the depicted configuration represents theaforementioned arrangement where the sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155, thecommunications circuit 156, the fault detection circuit 157, and/or thefault isolation circuit 158 are embodied as machine or computer-readablemedia. However, as mentioned above, this illustration is not meant to belimiting as the present disclosure contemplates other embodiments suchas the aforementioned embodiment where the sensor/OBD monitor circuit155, the communications circuit 156, the fault detection circuit 157,and/or the fault isolation circuit 158, or at least one circuit of thesensor/OBD monitor circuit 155, the communications circuit 156, thefault detection circuit 157, and/or the fault isolation circuit 158, areconfigured as a hardware unit. All such combinations and variations areintended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

The processor 152 may be implemented as one or more processors, anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), one or more fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs), a digital signal processor (DSP), agroup of processing components, or other suitable electronic processingcomponents. In some embodiments, the one or more processors may beshared by multiple circuits (e.g., the sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155,the communications circuit 156, the fault detection circuit 157, and/orthe fault isolation circuit 158 may comprise or otherwise share the sameprocessor which, in some example embodiments, may execute instructionsstored, or otherwise accessed, via different areas of memory).Alternatively or additionally, the one or more processors may bestructured to perform or otherwise execute certain operationsindependent of one or more co-processors. In other example embodiments,two or more processors may be coupled via a bus to enable independent,parallel, pipelined, or multi-threaded instruction execution. All suchvariations are intended to fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure. The memory 154 (e.g., RAM, ROM, Flash Memory, hard diskstorage, etc.) may store data and/or computer code for facilitating thevarious processes described herein. The memory 154 may be communicablyconnected to the processor 152 to provide computer code or instructionsto the processor 152 for executing at least some of the processesdescribed herein. Moreover, the memory 154 may be or include tangible,non-transient volatile memory or non-volatile memory. Accordingly, thememory 154 may include database components, object code components,script components, or any other type of information structure forsupporting the various activities and information structures describedherein.

The communications interface 153 may include any number and type ofwired or wireless interfaces (e.g., jacks, antennas, transmitters,receivers, transceivers, wire terminals, etc.) for conducting datacommunications with various systems, devices, or networks. For example,the communications interface 153 may include an Ethernet card and portfor sending and receiving data via an Ethernet-based communicationsnetwork and/or a Wi-Fi transceiver for communicating via a wirelesscommunications network. The communications interface 153 may bestructured to communicate via local area networks or wide area networks(e.g., the Internet, etc.) and may use a variety of communicationsprotocols (e.g., IP, LON, Bluetooth, ZigBee, radio, cellular, near fieldcommunication, etc.).

The communications interface 153 of the vehicle controller 150 mayfacilitate communication between and among the vehicle controller 150,one or more components of the vehicle 20 (e.g., components of thepowertrain 100, components of the powertrain 110, components of thepowertrain 115, components of the powertrain 118, the vehicle subsystems120, the operator I/O device 130, the sensors 140, etc.), the servicetool 300, and/or the server 400. Communication between and among thevehicle controller 150, the components of the vehicle 20, the servicetool 300, and/or the server 400 may be via any number of wired orwireless connections (e.g., any standard under IEEE 802, etc.). Forexample, a wired connection may include a serial cable, a fiber opticcable, a CAT5 cable, or any other form of wired connection. Incomparison, a wireless connection may include the Internet, Wi-Fi,cellular, Bluetooth, ZigBee, radio, etc. In one embodiment, a controllerarea network (CAN) bus provides the exchange of signals, information,and/or data. The CAN bus can include any number of wired and wirelessconnections that provide the exchange of signals, information, and/ordata. The CAN bus may include a local area network (LAN), or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).

In some embodiments, the sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155 is structured toreceive or acquire, and store the operation data from the sensors 140regarding operating characteristics or parameters regarding operation ofone or more systems, subsystems, and/or components of the vehicle 20. Insome embodiments, the sensor/OBD monitor circuit 155 is additionally oralternatively structured to receive or acquire, and store the OBDcapability from the OBD monitors 142.

The communications circuit 156 is structured to facilitate controllingcommunication between (i) the vehicle controller 150 and (ii) theoperator I/O device 130, the sensors 140, the OBD monitors 142, theservice tool 300, and/or the server 400 via the communications interface153. By way of example, the communications circuit 156 may be structuredto acquire the operation data from the sensors 140. By way of anotherexample, the communications circuit 156 may be structured to acquire theOBD capability data from the OBD monitors 142. By way of anotherexample, the communications circuit 156 may be structured to provide anindication of or an alert regarding a fault detection and the isolatedsystem, subsystem, and/or component responsible for the fault to theoperator I/O device 130, the service tool 300, and/or the server 400(e.g., such that an operator, a service technician, a fleet manager,etc. can be informed of the fault and take appropriate action). By wayof yet another example, the communications circuit 156 may be structuredto provide the operation data and/or the OBD capability data to theservice tool 300 such that the service tool 300 may perform the faultdetection and fault isolation functions and/or processes describedherein. By way of still another example, the communications circuit 156may be structured to provide the operation data and/or the OBDcapability data to the server 400 such that the server 400 may performthe fault detection and fault isolation functions and/or processesdescribed herein. By way of still yet another example, thecommunications circuit 156 may be structured to acquire operation dataand/or OBD capability data from the service tool 300 and/or the server400 regarding other vehicles associated with the vehicle 20 (e.g.,vehicles owned by the same person or entity, vehicles in the same fleet,vehicles of a similar make and/or model, etc.).

In one embodiment, the fault detection circuit 157 is structured toacquire the operation data from the sensors 140 and perform thefunctions of the OBD monitors 142 described herein to identify faultyand healthy vehicle subsystems 120 throughout the vehicle 20 (e.g.,determine the OBD capability data from the operation data and determineif a fault is present based on a comparison of the OBD capability datarelative to fault thresholds). In another embodiment, the faultdetection circuit 157 is structured to acquire the OBD capability datafrom the OBD monitors 142 and determine if a fault is present based on acomparison of the OBD capability data relative to fault thresholds toidentify faulty and healthy vehicle subsystems 120 throughout thevehicle 20. In still another embodiment, the fault detection circuit 157is structured to receive healthy or faulty signals from each of the OBDmonitors 142 to identify faulty and healthy vehicle subsystems 120throughout the vehicle 20.

The fault isolation circuit 158 is structured to implement one or moreprocesses that analyze the operating data acquired from the sensors 140and/or the OBD capability data acquired from the OBD monitors 142 when afault is detected to drill down on the fault to not only identify thevehicle subsystem 120 experiencing the fault, but isolate or identify,with relative certainty, the component or components within the vehiclesubsystem 120 that are the root cause of the fault. Such isolationability provides significant diagnostic improvements in terms ofefficiency, accuracy, and ease of service as compared to traditionaldiagnostics processes performed today. Specifically, fault diagnosticstoday typically start with a broad, system-level fault code. However,one of many parts of a system may be the cause of the fault. Therefore,when the vehicle with the fault is brought in for repair, techniciansrequire specialized fault diagnostics equipment and, in some instances,significant time and trial and error to actually identify the cause ofthe fault using the specialized fault diagnostic equipment, which istime consuming, inefficient, and expensive. The fault isolation circuit158 of the present disclosure can, therefore, mitigate the variousdisadvantages of the typical diagnostics procedures by directingtechnicians to the specific location and component that is likely theroot cause of the fault, which increases repair speeds, decreases costs,and gets drivers back on the road with minimal downtime.

In some embodiments, the fault isolation circuit 158 may be structuredto provide advanced warning or an alert regarding the faulty componentor system, via the communications circuit 156, to facilitate takingadvanced action prior to the vehicle with the faulty component arrivingat a service bay to further improve repair time and reduce down time. Asan example, the fault isolation circuit 158 may be structured toidentify a faulty component and automatically order a replacement partto be shipped to a service location in advance of the arrival of thevehicle. As another example, the fault isolation circuit 158 may bestructured to identify a faulty component and provide an alert to theoperator, fleet manager, etc. to order a replacement part. As stillanother example, the fault isolation circuit 158 may be structured toprovide an advance alert to the service location indicating theservice/repair that is needed and providing a training video or othertraining guide for the necessary repair so that the assigned technicianis up to speed and ready to start immediately upon arrival of thevehicle at the service location. As yet another example, the faultisolation circuit 158 may be structured to provide an advanced alert toa service location such that the service location makes sure that it hasa service bay, necessary tools, and/or necessary staff available whenthe vehicle arrives and to perform the specific repair, maintenance, orreplacement.

The one or more processes implemented by the fault isolation circuit 158include (i) a trending model process, (ii) a multiple OBD monitormonitoring process, and/or (iii) a control volumes analysis process,each of which is described in greater detail herein with respect toFIGS. 7-9 . Specifically, each of these three processes will bedescribed with respect to the vehicle subsystems 120 of the vehicle 20shown in FIG. 7 . However, it should be understood that that the vehiclesubsystems 120 shown in FIG. 7 are just one possible example ofsubsystems with which the processes implemented by the fault isolationcircuit 158 can be applied.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the vehicle subsystems 120 of the vehicle 20includes a first subsystem or an air handling system 210, a secondsubsystem or an engine system 230, a third subsystem or an exhaustsystem 250, a fourth subsystem or variable geometry turbo (VGT) 270, anda fifth subsystem or EGR system 290. The air handling system 210includes an intake conduit 212 having (i) an air intake 214 and (ii) anintake manifold 216, an air filter 218 positioned proximate the airintake 214, and an intercooler 220 positioned along the intake conduit212 between the air intake 214 and the intake manifold 216. The airhandling system 210 also includes various sensors 140 including (i) anintake mass airflow (MAF) sensor 222 positioned to monitor the amount ofair entering the engine system 230 and (ii) a manifold absolute pressure(MAP) sensor 224 positioned to monitor the pressure of the air enteringthe engine system 230 via the intake manifold 216. The intake MAF sensor222 may also include an intake air temperature (IAT) sensor integratedtherewith that is positioned to monitor the temperature of the airentering the engine system 230. The air handling system 210 may includeadditional or different components and/or sensors, the components shownare for example purposes only.

The engine system 230 includes the engine 101 having various componentsincluding a cylinder block 232 having a plurality of cylinders 234 and aplurality of fuel injectors 236, one of which is associated with arespective one of the plurality of cylinders 234. The plurality ofcylinders 234 receive air from the air handling system 210 through theintake manifold 216 where the air is combined with fuel injected thereinby the fuel injectors 236 to facilitate combustion. The engine system230 also includes various sensors 140 including injector sensors 238positioned to monitor the pressure of the fuel entering the fuelinjectors 236 and air fuel ratio sensors 240 positioned to monitoroxygen content within the exhaust exiting the cylinders 234 into theexhaust system 250.

The exhaust system 250 includes an exhaust conduit 252 having (i) anexhaust manifold 254 and (ii) an exhaust outlet 256, and an exhaustaftertreatment system 258 positioned along the exhaust conduit 252downstream of the exhaust manifold 254. The exhaust aftertreatmentsystem 258 may include various components used to reduce exhaustemissions, such as a SCR catalyst, a DOC, a DPF, DEF doser with a supplyof diesel exhaust fluid, and/or still other components. The exhaustsystem 250 also includes various sensors 140 including (i) a manifoldsensor 260 positioned to monitor one or more characteristics (e.g.,temperature; pressure; exhaust contents such as oxygen levels, NOxlevels, etc.) of exhaust exiting the engine system 230 and (ii) one ormore exhaust aftertreatment sensors 262 (e.g., an oxygen sensor, a NOxsensor, a temperature sensors, etc.) positioned to monitor one or morecharacteristics of the exhaust aftertreatment system 258 (e.g.,temperature, oxygen levels, NOx levels, etc.). The exhaust system 250may include additional or different components and/or sensors, thecomponents shown are for example purposes only.

The VGT 270 includes a turbine 272 positioned along the exhaust conduit252, a compressor 276 positioned along the intake conduit 212, aconnecting shaft 278 extending between the turbine 272 and thecompressor 276, and an electric turbo assist (ETA) 280 coupled to theconnecting shaft 278. The turbine 272 has a first flow adjuster orturbine vane(s) 274 that facilitates controlling the flow of exhaustthrough the turbine 272 and, thereby, the speed at which the turbine 272drives the other components of the VGT 270. The VGT 270 also includesvarious sensors 140 including (i) a vane sensor 282 positioned tomonitor the position of the turbine vane(s) 274 and (ii) a shaft sensor284 positioned to monitor a rotational speed of the connecting shaft278. The VGT 270 may include additional or different components and/orsensors, the components shown are for example purposes only.

The EGR system 290 includes an EGR conduit 292 connecting the exhaustconduit 252 back to the intake conduit 212, a heat exchanger or EGRcooler 294 positioned along the EGR conduit 292, and a second flowadjuster or EGR valve 296 positioned along the EGR conduit 292 tofacilitate controlling the flow of exhaust that is recirculated from theexhaust system 250 to the air handling system 210 by the EGR system 290.The EGR system 290 also includes various sensors 140 including (i) anEGR MAF sensor 298 positioned to monitor the amount of exhaust flowingthrough the EGR conduit 292 into the air handling system 210 and (ii) avalve sensor 299 positioned to monitor the position of the EGR valve296. The EGR MAF sensor 298 may also include a temperature sensorintegrated therewith that is positioned to monitor the temperature ofthe exhaust exiting the EGR system 290. The EGR system 290 may includeadditional or different components and/or sensors, the components shownare for example purposes only.

Trending Model Process

The fault isolation circuit 158 may be structured to implement thetrending model process by (i) acquiring data (e.g., from the sensors140, etc.) regarding system, subsystem, and/or component operatingparameters, (ii) monitoring the operating parameters over time, and(iii) comparing the operating parameters to (a) nominal operatingparameters from when the system, subsystem, and/or component was new,(b) current operating parameters of the same or similar systems,subsystems, and/or components within the vehicle 20, and/or (c)operating parameters of the same or similar systems, subsystems, and/orcomponents of other vehicles (e.g., within the same fleet of the vehicle20, of a similar make/model, etc.). The fault isolation circuit 158 maythen be structured to provide alerts as the system, subsystem, and/orthe component is trending towards its functional limits. Advantageously,the trending model process facilitates examining the operatingparameters specific to a particular component over time and relative tohealthy operating parameters (of the particular component, of othersimilar components in the same vehicle, or of similar components inother vehicles) and, if deviations are detected, technicians know whichspecific component to investigate. Technicians can thereby decreasediagnostic time and increase the velocity of the repair, gettingcustomers back in operation faster. Shorter repair times increase bothengine uptime and customer satisfaction. Truck drivers and ownersbenefit, as well. With a more precise understanding of the cause, truckdrivers and owners can make better business decisions by enabling themto decide whether to wait for the repair, to continue on with thecurrent vehicle, or to call for another vehicle to complete the mission.

As an example, the fault isolation circuit 158 may be structured toacquire data from the injector sensors 238 and/or the air fuel ratiosensors 240 indicative of operating parameters of the each of the fuelinjectors 236. The fault isolation circuit 158 may be structured tomonitor the operating parameters of each of the fuel injectors 236 overthe operational life thereof. In some embodiments, when the currentoperating parameters of a respective fuel injector 236 begin to deviatefrom the nominal or new operating parameters of the respective fuelinjector 236 by more than a threshold amount, the fault isolationcircuit 158 is structured to provide an alert indicating that therespective fuel injector 236 may be drifting and require maintenance orreplacement. In some embodiments, the fault isolation circuit 158 isstructured to additionally or alternatively compare the currentoperating parameters of the respective fuel injector 236 to the otherfuel injectors 236 to identify or confirm that the respective fuelinjector 236 may be drifting and require maintenance or replacement(e.g., if the current operating parameters of the respective fuelinjector 236 deviates from the current operating parameters of the otherfuel injectors 236 by more than a threshold amount, etc.).

As another example, the fault isolation circuit 158 may be structured toacquire data from the exhaust aftertreatment sensors 262 indicative ofoperating parameters of components of the exhaust aftertreatment system258, for example an SCR unit. The fault isolation circuit 158 may bestructured to monitor the operating parameters of the SCR unit over theoperational life thereof. In some embodiments, when the currentoperating parameters of the SCR unit begin to deviate from the nominalor new operating parameters of the SCR unit, the fault isolation circuit158 is structured to provide an alert indicating that the SCR unit maybe failing and require maintenance or replacement. In some embodiments,the fault isolation circuit 158 is structured to additionally oralternatively compare the current operating parameters of the SCR unitof the vehicle 20 to operating parameters of other SCR units of othervehicles to identify or confirm that the SCR unit of the vehicle 20 maybe failing and require maintenance or replacement (e.g., if the currentoperating parameters of the SCR unit of the vehicle 20 deviates from theoperating parameters of other SCR units of other vehicles by more than athreshold amount, etc.). By way of example, the vehicle controller 150of the vehicle 20 may be connected to the server 400 via the network 30and receive the operating parameters of other vehicles from the server400 (e.g., a telematics system, etc.). By way of another example, thevehicle controller 150 of the vehicle 20 may receive the operatingparameters of other vehicles when connected to the service tool 300 whenbrought in for service.

Multiple OBD Monitor Monitoring Process

The fault isolation circuit 158 may be structured to implement themultiple OBD monitor monitoring process by (i) monitoring the OBDcapability data acquired from multiple OBD monitors 142 associated witha respective system or a respective subsystem of the vehicle 20 (e.g.,in response to a respective OBD monitor 142 identifying that a fault maybe present in the respective system or the respective subsystem, etc.),(ii) comparing the OBD capability data from OBD monitors 142 thatmonitor a common component of the respective system or respectivesubsystem, and (iii) identifying the faulty subsystem or component ofthe subsystem through the comparison.

The downfall of traditional OBD diagnostics methods is that a systemusing traditional OBD diagnostics methods is incapable of identifyingwhich specific component is actually causing the fault code becausemultiple performance parameters associated with multiplecomponents/systems are monitored by each OBD monitor. The multiple OBDmonitoring process of the present disclosure does not introduce newsignals for on-board diagnostics, but, instead, introduces a supervisoryalgorithm that uses existing OBD algorithms. Because multiple OBDmonitors may be impacted by failure modes, analyzing OBD capability datafrom multiple OBD monitors 142 that may be impacted can be used toisolate failures to specific subsystems or components. Accordingly, themultiple OBD monitoring process of the present disclosure includesmonitoring the OBD capability data from multiple OBD monitors 142 thatmonitor connected systems to narrow down the list of possible failuremodes that are triggered or that are close to triggering an OBD faultwithin the connected systems (e.g., the air handling system 210, theengine system 230, the exhaust system 250, the VGT 270, and the EGRsystem 290).

Graphical examples of the multiple OBD monitoring process implemented bythe fault isolation circuit 158 are provided by FIGS. 8A and 8B. FIG. 8Ashows as a graph 800 of a first failure mode and FIG. 8B shows a graph802 of a second failure mode for a system or subsystem that isassociated with three OBD monitors 142. The graph 800 and the graph 802both include a normalized diagnostic threshold 804, first OBD capabilitydata 810 acquired from a first OBD monitor 142, second OBD capabilitydata 820 acquired from a second OBD monitor 142, and third OBDcapability data 830 acquired from a third OBD monitor 142. The first OBDmonitor 142 may monitor a first plurality of components (e.g.,components A, B, and C) or a first portion of a system/subsystem and thesecond OBD monitor 142 may monitor a second plurality of components(e.g., components C, D, E) or a second portion of the system/subsystemwhere (i) at least one of the first plurality of components and at leastone of the second plurality of components are the same or commoncomponent (e.g., component C) or (ii) the first portion and the secondportion at least partially overlap. Similarly, the third OBD monitor 142may monitor a third plurality of components (e.g., components B, E, F)or a third portion of the system/subsystem where (i) at least one of thefirst plurality of components and at least one of the third plurality ofcomponents are the same or common component (e.g., component B) or (ii)the first portion and the third portion at least partially overlap.Further, (i) at least one of the second plurality of components and atleast one of the third plurality of components may be the same or commoncomponent (e.g., component E) or (ii) the second portion and the thirdportion may at least partially overlap. While data from three OBDmonitors is shown, it should be understood that the multiple OBDmonitoring process may be performed with systems or subsystems that areassociated with more than three OBD monitors 142.

As shown in FIGS. 8A, the first failure mode is present where the thirdOBD capability data 830 indicates a value that is greater than thenormalized diagnostic threshold 804 and the second OBD capability data820 indicates a value that has not exceeded the normalized diagnosticthreshold 804, but is greater than the value indicated by the first OBDcapability data 810. The first failure mode, therefore, indicates thatthe faulty component or the faulty portion of the system/subsystem is(i) the same or common component between the third plurality ofcomponents and the second plurality of components (e.g., component E) or(ii) the overlap between the third portion of the system/subsystem andthe second portion of the system/subsystem.

As shown in FIGS. 8B, the second failure mode is present where the thirdOBD capability data 830 indicates a value that is greater than thenormalized diagnostic threshold 804 and the first OBD capability data810 indicates a value that has not exceeded the normalized diagnosticthreshold 804, but is greater than the value indicated by the second OBDcapability data 820. The second failure mode, therefore, indicates thatthe faulty component or the faulty portion of the vehiclesystem/subsystem is (i) the same or common component between the thirdplurality of components and the first plurality of components (e.g.,component B) or (ii) the overlap between the third portion of thesystem/subsystem and the first portion of the system/subsystem.

Control Volumes Analysis Process

The fault isolation circuit 158 may be structured to implement thecontrol volumes analysis process using a fault isolation table (FIT)method. The FIT is a predefined table based on system architecture and,as described in more detail herein, provides a relationship matrix thatdefines control volumes across a vehicle system, which may be used toisolate faults. Generally, the FIT method includes: (i) gatheringdiagnostic information (e.g., cusums, etc.) from error accumulators ordiagnostic estimators to generate an error diagnostic vector (e.g., amax diagnostic cusum error vector in a time window, etc.), (ii) applyingauto-tuned nominal reference values in the form of a healthy diagnosticvector (e.g., a calibrated max healthy diagnostic cusum vector from arich cycle, which is predetermined and prestored, etc.) to the errordiagnostic vector (e.g., by dividing the error diagnostic vector byhealthy diagnostic vector, etc.) to generate a ratio diagnostic vector(e.g., an error/cusum ratio vector, etc.), (iii) applying the ratiodiagnostic vector to a relationship matrix defined by a calibrated FIT(e.g., by multiplying the ratio diagnostic vector and the relationshipmatrix, etc.) to provide a value for various possible failure modes, and(iv) sorting the values for the various possible failure modes tofacilitate identifying the failure mode(s) with the highest likelihoodof failing or that have already failed.

An example of a FIT associated with the vehicle subsystems 120 of FIG. 9is provided below in Table 1. An example of a more comprehensive anddetailed FIT may be found in the Appendix included herewith, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The FIT provides arelationship matrix that includes columns of diagnostic estimators androws of failure modes. Each of the failure modes has either a value of 1or a value of −1 for each diagnostic estimator. A value of 1 indicatesthat the respective failure mode is an input to a respective diagnosticestimator. A value of −1 indicates that the respective failure mode isnot an input to the respective diagnostic estimator. The failure modesrepresent various different types of failures that can occur in a systemsuch a sensor failures, actuator failures, and component failures suchas ineffective operation as a result of flow leaks, flow restrictions,or damage. The diagnostic estimators define control volumes within thesystem associated with the FIT.

TABLE 1 Diagnostic Estimators Estima- Estima- Estima- Estima- Estima-tor 1 tor 2 tor 3 tor 4 . . . tor n Failure Mode 1 1 −1 −1 −1 −1 ModesMode 2 1 −1 1 −1 −1 Mode 3 1 1 1 −1 −1 Mode 4 1 1 1 −1 −1 Mode 5 −1 1 1−1 −1 Mode 6 −1 1 1 −1 −1 Mode 7 −1 1 −1 1 −1 Mode 8 −1 1 −1 1 1 Mode 9−1 1 −1 1 1 . . . Mode n −1 −1 −1 1 1

Applying the FIT of Table 1 to FIG. 9 , failure mode 1 relates to aportion of the intake conduit 212 (e.g., the portion downstream of theintercooler 220), failure mode 2 relates to the intake MAF sensor 222,failure mode 3 relates to the MAP sensor 224, failure mode 4 relates tothe intake manifold 216, failure mode 5 relates to the EGR valve 296,failure mode 6 relates to the valve sensor 299, failure mode 7 relatesto the EGR MAF sensor 298, failure mode 8 relates to the EGR cooler 294,failure mode 9 relates to a portion of the EGR conduit 292 (e.g., theportion downstream of the EGR cooler 294), and so on for each possiblefailure mode of the vehicle subsystems 120 of FIG. 9 . The diagnosticestimator 1 includes failure modes 1-4 and, therefore, defines a firstcontrol volume 900 that includes the intake conduit 212, the intake MAFsensor 222, the MAP sensor 224, and the intake manifold 216. Thediagnostic estimator 2 includes failure modes 3-9 and, therefore,defines a second control volume 910 that includes the MAP sensor 224,the intake manifold 216, the EGR valve 296, the valve sensor 299, theEGR MAF sensor 298, the EGR cooler 294, and the EGR conduit 292. Itshould be understood that the diagnostic estimators outlined in thisparagraph and in Table 1 are for example purposes only. Various otheradditional and/or different diagnostic estimators may be defined basedon desired granularity, system complexity, and system arrangement.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the first control volume 900 and the second controlvolume 910 partially overlap to define an overlapped region 920.Accordingly, through implementing the FIT method outlined above, ifdiagnostic estimator 1 and the diagnostic estimator 2 are drifted fromnominal, then the failure can be isolated down to the intersection ofthe two control volumes, or overlapped region 920, which includes theMAP sensor 224 and the intake manifold 216. This can be similarlyapplied to all of the control volumes and overlapped portions thereofacross the entire vehicle system. Accordingly, the FIT method is used toobserve the intersection of controls volumes using a relationship matrix(a weighted matrix that shows the relationship between failure modes anddiagnostic errors), which can help in narrowing down the list of failuremodes. The FIT method looks for common inputs between the differentdiagnostics that are drifting from nominal to help in narrowing down thelist of possible failure modes that a technician must troubleshoot.

Continuing on with the example of FIG. 9 , the FIT method may beperformed by the fault isolation circuit 158 as follows. First, thediagnostic information regarding the vehicle subsystems 120 is gatheredand the error diagnostic vector is generated. Second, the errordiagnostic vector is divided by a predetermined/prestored, healthydiagnostic vector to generate a ratio diagnostic vector. Third, theratio diagnostic vector is multiplied with the FIT table to generatevalues for each of the failure modes, as shown in Table 2. Lastly, thevalues from Table 2 are sorted to rank the failure modes with thehighest probability of failure, as shown in Table 3. Accordingly,applying the FIT method indicates that both diagnostic estimator 1 anddiagnostic estimator 2 are drifting from nominal conditions and that themost likely reason for such drifting is either that the MAP sensor 224is faulty or the intake manifold 216 is leaking, restricted, orotherwise damaged. Again, it should be understood that the valuesoutlined in Tables 2 and 3 are for example purposes only and intendedonly to demonstrate the concept of the FIT method.

TABLE 2 Failure Mode Value Mode 1 20 Mode 2 5 Mode 3 104 Mode 4 85 Mode5 15 Mode 6 25 Mode 7 35 Mode 8 10 Mode 9 30

TABLE 3 Failure Mode Value Rank Mode 3 104 1 Mode 4 85 2 Mode 7 35 3Mode 9 30 4 Mode 6 25 5 Mode 1 20 6 Mode 5 15 7 Mode 8 10 8 Mode 2 5 9

It should be understood that no claim element herein is to be construedunder the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f), unless the element isexpressly recited using the phrase “means for.”

For the purpose of this disclosure, the term “coupled” means the joiningor linking of two members directly or indirectly to one another. Suchjoining may be stationary or moveable in nature. For example, apropeller shaft of an engine “coupled” to a transmission represents amoveable coupling. Such joining may be achieved with the two members orthe two members and any additional intermediate members. For example,circuit A communicably “coupled” to circuit B may signify that thecircuit A communicates directly with circuit B (i.e., no intermediary)or communicates indirectly with circuit B (e.g., through one or moreintermediaries).

While various circuits with particular functionality are shown in FIGS.6 and 7 , it should be understood that the vehicle controller 150 and/orthe server 400 may include any number of circuits for completing thefunctions described herein. For example, the activities andfunctionalities of the various circuits may be combined in multiplecircuits or as a single circuit. Additional circuits with additionalfunctionality may also be included. Further, it should be understoodthat the vehicle controller 150 and/or the server 400 may furthercontrol other activity beyond the scope of the present disclosure.

As mentioned above and in one configuration, the “circuits” may beimplemented in machine-readable medium for execution by various types ofprocessors, such as the processor 152. An identified circuit ofexecutable code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical orlogical blocks of computer instructions, which may, for instance, beorganized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, theexecutables of an identified circuit need not be physically locatedtogether, but may comprise disparate instructions stored in differentlocations which, when joined logically together, comprise the circuitand achieve the stated purpose for the circuit. Indeed, a circuit ofcomputer readable program code may be a single instruction, or manyinstructions, and may even be distributed over several different codesegments, among different programs, and across several memory devices.Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated hereinwithin circuits, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organizedwithin any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may becollected as a single data set, or may be distributed over differentlocations including over different storage devices, and may exist, atleast partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network.

While the term “processor” is briefly defined above, it should beunderstood that the term “processor” and “processing circuit” are meantto be broadly interpreted. In this regard and as mentioned above, the“processor” may be implemented as one or more processors, applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or other suitable electronicdata processing components structured to execute instructions providedby memory. The one or more processors may take the form of a single coreprocessor, multi-core processor (e.g., a dual core processor, triplecore processor, quad core processor, etc.), microprocessor, etc. In someembodiments, the one or more processors may be external to theapparatus, for example the one or more processors may be a remoteprocessor (e.g., a cloud based processor). Alternatively oradditionally, the one or more processors may be internal and/or local tothe apparatus. In this regard, a given circuit or components thereof maybe disposed locally (e.g., as part of a local server, a local computingsystem, etc.) or remotely (e.g., as part of a remote server such as acloud based server). To that end, a “circuit” as described herein mayinclude components that are distributed across one or more locations.

It should be noted that although the diagrams herein may show a specificorder and composition of method steps, it is understood that the orderof these steps may differ from what is depicted. For example, two ormore steps may be performed concurrently or with partial concurrence.Also, some method steps that are performed as discrete steps may becombined, steps being performed as a combined step may be separated intodiscrete steps, the sequence of certain processes may be reversed orotherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete processes may bealtered or varied. The order or sequence of any element or apparatus maybe varied or substituted according to alternative embodiments.Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included withinthe scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims.Such variations will depend on the machine-readable media and hardwaresystems chosen and on designer choice. It is understood that all suchvariations are within the scope of the disclosure.

The foregoing description of embodiments has been presented for purposesof illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive orto limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed, and modificationsand variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may beacquired from this disclosure. The embodiments were chosen and describedin order to explain the principals of the disclosure and its practicalapplication to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. Other substitutions, modifications, changesand omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions andarrangement of the embodiments without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure as expressed in the appended claims.

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executableinstructions encoded therein, the instructions, when executed by one ormore processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operationscomprising: storing a fault isolation relationship data set of aplurality of diagnostic estimators and a plurality of failure modes,each of the plurality of failure modes represents a type of failure thatcan occur with (i) a sensor or (ii) a vehicle component of a vehiclesystem that is associated with the fault isolation relationship dataset, each of the plurality of diagnostic estimators is associated with arespective subset of the plurality of failure modes, each respectivesubset defines a control space within the vehicle system that containsat least one of (i) one or more sensors or (ii) one or more vehiclecomponents of the vehicle system, wherein each control space at leastpartially overlaps another control space to define a plurality ofoverlapped regions; storing healthy diagnostic data regarding nominaloperational parameters of the vehicle system when healthy; acquiringdiagnostic information regarding current operational parameters of thevehicle system; generating error diagnostic data based on the diagnosticinformation; generating a value for each of the plurality of failuremodes based on the fault isolation relationship data set, the errordiagnostic data, and the healthy diagnostic data; and providing an alertto at least one of a display of a vehicle, a display of a service tool,or a server to facilitate identifying which of the plurality of failuremodes are most likely to cause a fault within the vehicle system basedon the value for each of the plurality of failure modes.
 2. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the type offailure for each of the plurality of failure modes includes a sensorfailure, an actuator failure, or a static component failure.
 3. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the fault islikely caused by a respective component or a respective sensorpositioned within a respective overlapped region of the plurality ofoverlapped regions that has control spaces associated therewith that aredrifting from the nominal operational parameters associated with thecontrol spaces of the respective overlapped region.
 4. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein theinstructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the oneor more processors to perform operations further comprising sorting theplurality of failure modes based on the value for each of the pluralityof failure modes to facilitate identifying which of the plurality offailure modes are most likely to cause the fault within the vehiclesystem.
 5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1,wherein the one or more processors are at least one of (i) positioned inthe vehicle in a vehicle controller, (ii) positioned remote from thevehicle in the server, or (iii) positioned remote from the vehicle in aservice tool.
 6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1,wherein the vehicle system includes at least three or more of an intakesystem, an engine system, an exhaust system, an exhaust gasrecirculation system, or a variable geometry turbo system.
 7. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executableinstructions encoded therein, the instructions, when executed by one ormore processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operationscomprising: acquiring diagnostic data from one or more devices of avehicle, wherein the diagnostic data includes at least (i) firstdiagnostic data acquired by a first diagnostic sensor associated with afirst plurality of components or a first portion of the vehicle, (ii)second diagnostic data acquired by a second diagnostic sensor associatedwith a second plurality of components or a second portion of thevehicle, and (iii) third diagnostic data acquired by a third diagnosticsensor associated with a third plurality of components or a thirdportion of the vehicle, wherein (i) the first plurality of componentsand the second plurality of components include a first common componentor (ii) the first portion and the second portion at least partiallyoverlap, and wherein (i) the first plurality of components and the thirdplurality of components include a second common component or (ii) thefirst portion and the third portion at least partially overlap;comparing the first diagnostic data, the second diagnostic data, and thethird diagnostic data to identify a faulty component or a faulty portionof a vehicle system based on the comparison; and providing an alertindicating the faulty component or the faulty portion of the vehicle toat least one of a display of the vehicle, a display of a service tool,or a server.
 8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7,wherein the faulty component or the faulty portion of the vehicle systemis determined to be the first common component or the overlap betweenthe first portion and the second portion in response to the firstdiagnostic data and the second diagnostic data each indicating a greatervalue than the third diagnostic data, and wherein the faulty componentor the faulty portion of the vehicle system is determined to be thesecond common component or the overlap between the first portion and thethird portion in response to the first diagnostic data and the thirddiagnostic data each indicating a greater value than the seconddiagnostic data.
 9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim7, wherein (i) the second plurality of components and the thirdplurality of components include a third common component or (ii) thesecond portion and the third portion at least partially overlap.
 10. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein theinstructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the oneor more processors to perform operations further comprising acquiringthe diagnostic data from the one or more devices in response to at leastone of the first diagnostic sensor, the second diagnostic sensor, or thethird diagnostic sensor indicating that a fault is present.
 11. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the one ormore devices of the vehicle include a vehicle controller.
 12. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the one ormore devices of the vehicle include the first diagnostic sensor, thesecond diagnostic sensor, and the third diagnostic sensor.
 13. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the one ormore processors are at least one of (i) positioned on the vehicle in avehicle controller, (ii) positioned remote from the vehicle in theserver, or (iii) positioned remote from the vehicle in the service tool.14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executableinstructions encoded therein, the instructions, when executed by one ormore processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operationscomprising: acquiring data from one or more devices of a vehicleregarding current operating parameters of at least one of a vehiclesystem of the vehicle or a component of the vehicle system; comparingthe current operating parameters of the at least one of the vehiclesystem or the component to at least one of: current operating parametersof at least one of a similar system or a similar component of thevehicle; or operating parameters of the at least one of the similarsystem or the similar component of one or more other vehicles; andproviding an alert to at least one of a display of the vehicle, adisplay of a service tool, or a server in response to the comparisonindicating that the at least one of the vehicle system or the componentrequires maintenance or replacement.
 15. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the one or more processorsare at least one of (i) positioned on the vehicle in a vehiclecontroller, (ii) positioned remote from the vehicle in the server, or(iii) positioned remote from the vehicle in the service tool.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein theinstructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the oneor more processors to perform operations further comprising: comparingthe current operating parameters of the at least one of the vehiclesystem or the component to nominal operating parameters from when atleast one of the vehicle system or the component was new; anddetermining that the alert is required in response to the currentoperating parameters deviating from the nominal operating parameters bymore than a first threshold amount.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processorsto perform operations further comprising: comparing the currentoperating parameters of the at least one of the vehicle system or thecomponent to the current operating parameters of the at least one of thesimilar system or the similar component of the vehicle; and confirmingthat the alert is required in response to the current operatingparameters of the at least one of the vehicle system or the componentdeviating from the current operating parameters of the at least one ofthe similar system or the similar component of the vehicle by more thana second threshold amount.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the oneor more processors, cause the one or more processors to performoperations further comprising: comparing the current operatingparameters of the at least one of the vehicle system or the component tothe operating parameters of the at least one of the similar system orthe similar component of one or more other vehicles; and confirming thatthe alert is required in response to the current operating parameters ofthe at least one of the vehicle system or the component deviating fromthe operating parameters of the at least one of the similar system orthe similar component of one or more other vehicles by more than asecond threshold amount.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the one or more processors to perform operationsfurther comprising: comparing the current operating parameters of the atleast one of the vehicle system or the component to the currentoperating parameters of the at least one of the similar system or thesimilar component of the vehicle; and determining that the alert isrequired in response to the current operating parameters of the at leastone of the vehicle system or the component deviating from the currentoperating parameters of the at least one of the similar system or thesimilar component of the vehicle by more than a threshold amount. 20.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein theinstructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the oneor more processors to perform operations further comprising: comparingthe current operating parameters of the at least one of the vehiclesystem or the component to the operating parameters of the at least oneof the similar system or the similar component of one or more othervehicles; and determine that the alert is required in response to thecurrent operating parameters of the at least one of the vehicle systemor the component deviating from the operating parameters of the at leastone of the similar system or the similar component of one or more othervehicles by more than a threshold amount.